Federal Funding of Safe Routes To School Program - Urgent Need!

House Republican Whip, Eric Cantor, has targeted the Federal Safe Routes to School program as wasteful government spending as part of his YouCut program. Each week, Rep. Cantor asks people to vote for which of five options they would cut from the federal budget. Republicans then hold a floor vote in the House of Representatives to try and eliminate the program that gets the most votes.

This week, the Federal Safe Routes to School program is one of Rep. Cantor’s choices to cut. He argues that SRTS duplicates other bicycling and walking programs, and that bicycling and walking infrastructure is a local government responsibility. We need your help to show Rep. Cantor that Safe Routes to School is important to his constituents and that it is not wasteful spending.

Please take a minute and go to this link on the League of American Bicyclists website to send a letter to your House Representative and let your rep know how important the Federal SRTS program is and those efforts and funds are NOT duplicative of other local programs.

Please click on this link to send your message directly to your House Representative.

Allentown Teen Dies In Bicycle Accident

As reported on WFMZ website. Here's a link also to the road in which the accident occured here on google maps.

We don't have anymore details on the cause of the bike/car collision. However, since PennDot and authorities don't release sites of bike/car or pedestrian/car collision to general public due to liability fears, help WalkBikeBerks track suspect intersections and locations.

When you hear of a collision involving a pedestrian or bicyclist send the details to info@walkbikeberks.org.

Gina Gasper | Web Producer

Posted: 10:38 pm EDT June 11, 2010Updated: 5:20 pm EDT June 13, 2010

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GREENWICH TWP., Pa -- A teenager from Allentown is dead following a crash in Greenwich Township Friday night.It happened around 8:00p.m. Friday.The Berks County Coroner says 15-year-old Joseph Wayne Compton was killed from trauma received after being thrown from his bicycle.State police said Campton was riding his bike on Daniels Road West when he was struck by a vehicle traveling north on Lutz road, near Old Route 22 and the Lehigh County line.The investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing.

Copyright 2010 WFMZ. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Dump The Pump Day

Thursday, June 17 is the 5th annual national "Dump the Pump" day. Commuters are encouraged to leave their cars at home and try public transportation on the 17th. Along with the many benefits of using transit (saving money, less traffic congestion, improved air quality, etc.), BARTA is promoting Dump the Pump with a drawing for free passes.

There will be an ad in the Reading Eagle to inform the public about the promotion and there will be an entry blank for people to fill out and deposit in boxes that will be placed at the Barta Transportation Center. Drivers will also hand out entry blanks to passengers on the 17th. The grand prize winner will receive 6 – 31-Day Anywhere Passes, 6 first prize winners will receive one 31-Day Anywhere Pass, and 6 second prize winners will receive 2-One Day Anywhere Passes. The drawing will take place on Monday, June 28th.

PA Commuter Services can help commuters find a bus route. Please call 1.866.579.RIDE for more information!

Is Your Street On the List? Public Comments Sought for Transportation Study in Berks

Make your neighborhood better for walking and biking. Speak at a public meeting, Write and submit a comment, Fax or email the Berks County Planning Commission -- and ask that all of our streets be built for everyone, whether young or old, motorist or bicyclist, walker or wheelchair user, bus rider or shopkeeper.

Too many of our streets are designed only for speeding cars, or worse, creeping traffic jams.
Now, in communities across the county, a movement is growing to complete the streets. Residents are asking planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone. The first stage is being completed now -- as the Berks County Planning Commission drafts a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan. Make sure you thank our transportation authority for their work and efforts to make our streets better for all users.

Then, ask that we work together to do more by extending walking and bicycling into the overall transportation plan: Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

Here's how:

The Reading Area Transportation Study (RATS) Coordinating Committee has prepared planning documents that list various roadway, public transit, and off-road transportation projects and planning efforts in Berks County.

This announcement is designed to give citizens, local governments and interested organizations an opportunity to comment on the Draft TIP, Draft Long Range Transportation Plan Update, Draft Air Quality Conformity Analysis and Draft Benefits and Burdens Analysis.

Two (2) Public Meetings to take comments on the Draft TIP, Long Range Transportation Plan Update, Draft Air Quality Conformity Analysis and Draft Benefits and Burdens Analysis will be held:
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
7:00 p.m.
Berks County Agricultural Center
1238 County Welfare Rd., Leesport, PA

Thursday, July 1, 2010
4:00 p.m.
Berks County Planning Commission
633 Court Street, 14th Floor, Reading, PA

Please submit written comments to:
Mr. Alan D. Piper, Transportation Planner,
Berks County Planning Commission
633 Court St. – 14th Floor, Reading, PA 19601

Comments will be accepted beginning Monday, June 7, 2010 through the close of business on Friday, July 9, 2010.

Comments may be faxed to (610) 478-6316
email to planning@countyofberks.com.

A copy of the Draft TIP, Draft Long Range Transportation Plan Update, Draft Air Quality Conformity Analysis and Draft Benefits and Burdens Analysis is available for public review on the Berks County Planning Commission’s web page at www.co.berks.pa.us/planning and at the following locations:

Berks Co. Planning Commission BARTA Executive Offices PENNDOT Dist. 5-0
633 Court St – 14th Floor 1700 North 11th Street 1002 Hamilton Street
Reading, PA 19601 Reading, PA 19604 Allentown, PA 18101

WalkBikeBerks Commuter Challenge Winners Announced!

Although Bike To Work month has passed we still have some winners to announce for our commuter challenge raffle! During the month of May WalkBikeBerks recorded over 229 bicycle commuter trips for 1015 miles from 30 individuals.

Putting these numbers into perspective it represents approximately over 48,700 calories burned which is equivalent to 90 McDonald Big Macs or 195 McDonald Hamburgers. Also, total calories burned is approximate to 141lbs. Using the 2010 IRS reimbursement rate for business travel the total miles is equivalent to $17/person saved in gas and auto repair/maintenance.

Further, comparing these numbers to the competition sponsored by our friends from the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition in Philadelphia we have the following:

____________Reading ____Philadelphia ___% Difference
# of Trips ---------229 -------------762 ----------------30%
Miles ---------------1015 -------------3,129 ------------- 32%
Population -------81,000 ------- 1,400,000 ------- 5.8%

While both organizations know there's a much larger bicycle commuter population out there that did not enter our competition it's interesting to note that while Reading's population is under 6% of Philadelphia, we had a greater proportion of trips and miles in a county that has NO bike lanes and significantly less bicycle infrastructure than Philadelphia.

We at WalkBikeBerks look forward to organizing our bicycling commuters to put pressure on our local/state governments to improve our infrastructure and improve these statistics!

Now on to our winners!

- Winner of $150 to spend at Spokes Bicycle Shop in Hamburg - Ben Schiavone from EnerSys
- Winner of $100 to spend at Lebo's Pedal Parlor in West Lawn - Thom Inglin from Baldwin
- 5 Winners of $10 to spend at The Crank in Wernersville:
- Mark Burton from Carpenter Technologies
- Sean Fullerton from Exeter Police Department
- Steve Thompson from Baldwin
- Larisa Duffy from Raylon Corp
- Ed Renenger from Stevens & Lee

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to our sponsors! Check back later for pictures of our winners!

DCNR Invests in Schuylkill River Trail to Promote Outdoor Activity, Connect River Towns in Chester County

An important link in the Schuylkill River Trail between Pottstown and Phoenixville receives a grant!

PARKERFORD, Pa., June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary John Quigley today announced a $406,035 grant to Chester County that will help add a 3.5-mile segment to the Schuylkill River Trail, linking it from Phoenixville to Pottstown.

The vision for the Schuylkill River Trail is that it will be seamless along the Schuylkill River from Delaware County, through Philadelphia, to Montgomery and Chester counties, proceeding on to Reading, Berks County, and eventually to the headwaters of the river in Schuylkill County.

"Trails make important connections between places; they connect natural resources to community revitalization and they connect people to the outdoors," Quigley said at a groundbreaking ceremony for the trail segment in Chester County. "We are happy to make this investment and partner with Chester County in providing this critical link in the Schuylkill River Trail to connect recreational hubs and river towns through some of the state's most populated areas.

"The Chester County commissioners are to be congratulated for investing more than $1 million in this key trail segment through the Schuylkill River Heritage Area."

The new trail section will be 10- to 12-feet wide on a rail bed owned by PECO and under easement to Chester County. The project will include informational kiosks with maps.

The project will also incorporate a number of green features, including using existing hardscape, no tree removals, planting warm season grasses instead of typical blue grasses, and eliminating excavation during construction by using the existing gravel path and drainage networks.

DCNR's grant to the Schuylkill River Trail and associated greenway was made possible through the department's Community Conservation Partnerships Program that is supported by the Keystone Fund. It advances efforts in the Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape Initiative to work with public and private partners on land conservation, locally-driven planning and community economic revitalization efforts that protect natural resources and cultural assets.

In addition to having large populations, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lebanon, Lancaster, Lehigh and Montgomery counties are home to critical unprotected lands such as source waters and contiguous forested lands and key habitats in what is known as the Hopewell Big Woods. The Schuylkill Highlands effort hopes to protect what is special in this region by saving high-quality lands and connecting people and communities through a network of trails and gateway communities.

For more information about DCNR grants or the Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape Initiative, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us or call 717-772-9101.

Media contact: Christina Novak, 717-772-9101

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Copyright 2010 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved

WFMZ-TV 69 News Online

Take The 2 Mile Challenge!

WalkBikeBerks' parent organization The Alliance for Biking and Walking has an opportunity to receive $25,000! Please see details below and help The Alliance win so they can help other grass root organizations such as WalkBikeBerks further our mission!

Take the 2 Mile Challenge and help the Alliance earn $25,000!

Bolstered by a $25,000 grant from CLIF BAR, the Alliance for Biking & Walking is playing a key role in a national effort to replace short car trips with bike travel.

The 2 Mile Challenge was inspired by a little-recognized fact: 40 percent of urban trips are less than two miles. Ryan Mayo, Brand Experience Manager for CLIF BAR, said the energy bar company was staggered by that statistic. So it came up with a creative competition to encourage consumers to stop driving and start cycling.

To lead the charge in the 2 Mile Challenge, CLIF BAR selected three nonprofit organizations that work to advance sustainable transportation options. Each nonprofit was awarded $25,000 and assigned to represent one of three national teams: Gold, Blue, or Red.

The Alliance for Biking & Walking is going for the Gold - and we need your pedal-powered movement to earn another $25,000!


Sign up for the 2 Mile Challenge and pledge your support to the Gold Team. If you're an organization leader, encourage your members to get involved, too! As you park your car and hop on your bicycle, log your travel online. Each trip on a bicycle will add to the point total for their team. At the end of October, an additional $25,000 grant will be awarded to the team with the most logged miles.

The Alliance will use the $25,000 grant from CLIF BAR to support its Winning Campaigns Trainings and also assist in the development and launch of the Guide to Funding Biking and Walking Projects, an upcoming Alliance publication.

Support the Alliance, take the challenge and join the Gold Team at http://www.2milechallenge.com.